What Do I Need To List When Filing Bankruptcy?

Filing Bankruptcy; do you need to list everything? What if you don't want to bankrupt your favorite credit card? Those questions are generally followed by not wanting to disclose a transaction recently consummated. After all, how will they (bankruptcy court) know?

I promptly, and directly, explain to my client:

1. the bankruptcy code requires complete financial disclosure, and
2. the bankruptcy papers filed with the court are signed under penalty of perjury.

If you get caught, the Federal Court will ruin your day!  That's right, they will make an example out of you.  I do not want my name associated with such activity.  This can lead to criminal sanctions; perhaps you have heard of something called "Fraud"; this is in addition to penalties provided within the bankruptcy code and rules.  Sometimes proper planning can accommodate my client's goals, but proper disclosure is a must.

Case in point. United States v. Turner (11th Cir., 2012).

In this case out of Alabama, Mr. Turner failed to disclose the receipt of an insurance check he deposited into a solely owned LLC, of which he was the only signatory on the account. He also failed to disclose his LLC.

A jury convicted Mr. Turner of one count of bankruptcy fraud, and four counts of making false entries in his bankruptcy filings with the intent to impede, obstruct or influence his bankruptcy case.

He was sentenced to 27 months incarceration, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and payment of $28,500 restitution and $500 special assessments.  As of the writing of this blog, one count, Count 6, was vacated on appeal, and the case has been sent back to the lower court for resentencing.

Bankruptcy: Can My Taxes Be Discharged?

Can Taxes owed to state or federal entities be discharged in bankruptcy? Well that depends. The bankruptcy code outlines what taxes may be discharged. For a brief overview, there are six requirements (you must meet all six requirements):

1. THREE YEAR RULE: The three year rule: for the tax year in question, the most recent due date for filing the return is more than three years old;
2. TWO YEAR RULE: A tax return has been filed at least two years preceding the filing date of the bankruptcy;
3. TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY DAY RULE: The tax claim was assessed at least more than 240 days preceding the filing date of the bankruptcy;
4. TAX IS ASSESSABLE BUT NOT YET ASSESSED;
5. NON-FRAUDULENT RETURN; and
6. NO WILLFUL TAX EVASION.

Obviously, the above is only a preliminary test to see if you need to look further to see is a tax due to a state or federal entity may be discharged. If you think taxes you owe might be dischargeable, you should seek the advise of a bankruptcy attorney.

Scams: Memorial Day

Scams do not take a holiday, they look for a holiday.  According to a recent article in the Los Angeles Times (May 6, 2012)  entitled "Scam Watch: Memorial Day, Foreclosure Rescue, Investment Scheme", Memorial Day has become an active day for criminals.  It appears both active duty military, veterans, and their families are targeted by scammers.   

 

According to the article, the scams include criminals soliciting money over the phone for military charities, as well as calls from people alleging they are from the Veterans Administration, and asking for credit card, bank account, or other financial information.

The article also notes some recent scams, including one committed by Frederic Alan Gladle from Austin, Texas, who delayed foreclosure for a fee.  He would submit false documents in bankruptcy court, thereby delaying the foreclosure proceedings.  Earlier this month he received 61 months in federal prison.

Another person was able to raise money by alleging his company was about to be acquired by Microsoft.  He received 22 years in federal prison.

Eleventh Circuit Rules On Allowing Lien Stripping in Chapter 7

UPDATE: Since the posting of this blog, the Supreme Court has reversed the Eleventh Circuit: 

See http://jacksonville-bankruptcy-grange.blogspot.com/2015/06/second-mortgage-in-chapter-7-bank-of.html

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Lien Stripping in a Chapter 7 case?  The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals says it is OK, which is a minority decision.

The 11^th Circuit Court of Appeals recently interpreted a Supreme Court ruling differently than most other courts in other jurisdictions. If you have been studying bankruptcy, then you know the courts require a discharge in a Chapter 13 as a prerequisite to stripping off of a lien to real property. So, what does this mean. Essentially, if you have a second mortgage that is completely unsecured (the balance of the 1^st mortgage is more than the value of the property, so the second mortgage is unsecured), the only way to get rid of the second mortgage is to obtain an order from the court allowing a strip off of the lien upon receiving a discharge in a Chapter 13.

 

Most courts around the country have interpreted the Supreme Court ruling as disallowing the strip off of a lien when it disallowed the cram down of a lien in a Chapter 7. Well, the 11^th Circuit (the Middle District of Florida is in the 11^th Circuit) court of appeals has just ruled a mortgage can be stripped off in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. (In Re: Lorraine McNeal). The court said, for the most part, the Supreme Court has never ruled on a strip off of a lien, just a cram down, and as such, they are free to interpret this part of the bankruptcy code.

So, will the local bankruptcy courts follow the 11^th Circuit? We do not know. This case just came down. You see, even though the 11^th Circuit ruled, this is actually a persuasive ruling the local bankruptcy court should consider. Of course, all cases have to be decided by the Court on a case by case basis.

Home: Can The Trustee Take It?

As a bankruptcy attorney in Jacksonville, Florida, I practice in several areas of debt relief, including foreclosure defense.  The following blog is created with the intent of provoking discussion, addressing bankruptcy, Trustees, and the debtors wishing to retain their homes, when the mortgage is upside down.

So do you want to be in bankruptcy? Of course not. And if you are also having your house foreclosed on, you certainly don't want that either. So when you go to your local attorney, you are advised as to whether or not you should file bankruptcy, and what chapter you can file. You may also be advised as to whether or not you can keep your house. If you are looking to discharge you debts through bankruptcy, and upside down on your house (that is, your 1^st mortgage is higher than the value of the real property), you may find this blog post interesting.

In Florida, there is reportedly a case where a debtor decided not to claim a homestead exemption on Schedule C of his bankruptcy paperwork, thereby allowing the debtor to claim a $4,000 wild card exemption; this is another way of saying the debtor can get though the bankruptcy and keep an extra $4,000 worth of property. The Trustee and the mortgagee came up with the bright idea of paying the Trustee to short sale the house. This would allow the mortgagee to foreclose on the house in a very efficient and timely manner, put some money in the Trustee's pocket, and avoid having to possibly fight a judicial foreclosure.

The problem with this lies with the duties of the Trustee, as the duties outlined in the bankruptcy code do not include the trustee acting as a foreclosure attorney. Another problem lies with the property itself. If there is no equity, is the property a bankruptcy asset. There is a very strong argument that can be made that the property, with no equity, is not an asset of the bankruptcy estate.

UPDATE:  The practice of at least one of the Trustees in the Jacksonville Division is to ask the bank to pay him to short sale the property.  This is possible if 1) the debtor does not claim the property as exempt homestead property, and 2) the bank agrees.  If you are filing the the Jacksonville Division, make sure you get the advise of an attorney before choosing to NOT claim your property as homestead.

A second case in Florida deals with the Trustee deciding to tell a debtor to get out of their house when the house is not claimed as exempt. Under the bankruptcy code, a trustee either has to administer the asset or abandon it. If the debtor simply moved out of the property, the debtor may be subject to fines and penalties for not maintaining the house. These fines and penalties would not be discharged in the bankruptcy because they occurred post petition. Of course, we still have the problem of whether or not the property is even property of the bankruptcy estate to begin with.

A third case deals with the trustee charging the debtor rent to stay in the house. That's right! The problem here is to some extent obvious; that's right, the house may not be a bankruptcy trust asset to begin with. But something you may not have though of is, does the Trustee really want to be a landlord, that is, they would be responsible to maintaining the property. As far as I know, the typical Trustee does not want to deal with landlord type problems; you know, the faucet leaks, the plumbing is stopped up, the grass need mowing, etc. It is also my understanding, in some jurisdictions, a landlord, or in this case perhaps a property manager, would need to be licensed by the state.

Should a Trustee be able to take a house with no equity? To what extent does the bankruptcy code require the trustee to maintain the asset? If you have any thoughts of enlightenment on this issue, please let me know below.

Other notable sites beginning with H:

Harassment by Creditors Southgate, Michigan Bankruptcy Attorney, Christopher McAvoy

Hardship Discharge Philadelphia Bankruptcy Lawyer, Kim Coleman

Hearing Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska Bankruptcy Attorney, Ryan D. Caldwell

Home is Where the Heart Is San Francisco Bankruptcy Attorney, Jeena Cho

Homeowner's Association Dues Marin County Bankruptcy Attorney, Catherine Eranthe

Homestead Colorado Springs Bankruptcy Lawyer Bob Doig

Honest but Unfortunate Debtor Wisconsin Bankruptcy Lawyer, Bret Nason

Honesty Cleveland Area Bankruptcy Lawyer, Bill Balena

Honesty (and Fraud Avoidance) Philadelphia Suburban Bankruptcy Lawyer, Chris Carr

House Northern California Bankruptcy Lawyer, Cathy Moran

House Los Angeles Bankruptcy Attorney, Mark J. Markus

Household New York Bankruptcy Lawyer, Jay S. Fleischman

Household Metro Richmond Consumer and Bankruptcy Attorney, Mitchell Goldstein

Household Size Hilo Bankruptcy Attorney, Stuart T. Ing

How Much Is Your Home Worth? St. Clair Shores Michigan Bankruptcy Attorney Kurt OKeefe

Household Median Income Livonia, Michigan Bankruptcy Lawyer, Peter Behrmann

Hearings Birmingham Bankruptcy Attorney, Elizabeth Johnson

Hijacking Christine A. Wilton, Lakewood, Ca Bankruptcy Lawyer

Bankruptcy Chief Judge To Have Open Door Hours

Chief Judge Karen S. Jennemann, the chief judge of the United States Bankruptcy Court, Middle District of Florida, has recently announced an initiative to bring all the divisions of the bankruptcy court within the district under the same policies, local rules, and procedures. This is expected to help everyone, including attorneys, pre se parties, and court personnel, to more efficiently operate within the district.

Toward this goal, as of April 23, Raymond Waguespack will be the “project manager over the court committees created to unify the processes and procedures of our divisions.”

Judge Jennemann has also announced “open door” hours for the purpose of allowing anyone to express any concerns regarding the bankruptcy court. Obviously, she will not be able to discuss individual cases, but she is interested in hearing ones thoughts concerning the Court.

The open door office hours are as follows:

ORLANDO DIVISION

Dates: April 16, 2012, July 23, 2012, and October 29, 2012

Time: 2:00—4:00 PM

Place: Fifth Floor Conference Room (room across from Courtroom A)

TAMPA DIVISION

Dates: April 24, 2012, July 17, 2012, and October 24, 2012

Time: 2:00—4:00 PM

Place: 8th Floor Attorney Conference Room , Courtroom 8A

JACKSONVILLE DIVISION

Dates: July 9, 2012, and October 1, 2012

Time: 2:00-4:00 PM

Place: 4^th Floor Conference Room

Bankruptcy, Foreclosure, and Mortgage Modification: Who is Winning?

There is really no need to tell you the economy not doing very good. Although bankruptcies have slowed in the Middle District of Florida, and some people are now finding employment after being unemployed for an extended time, foreclosures appear to be steady, though it appears, as predicted by some, to be the beginning of a second wave. This would have been hard for anyone to predict in an election year.

The stories surrounding bankruptcies and foreclosures are vast, to say the least. They range from the breadwinner losing his or her job and loan documents being lost, to fraudulent loans being orchestrated and lost of destroyed documents being recreated. While some states have attempted to handle the problem by allowing non-judicial foreclosure proceedings similar to a typical collection on a titled asset (like an automobile), other states do not permit such actions. Here, in Florida, it is difficult to see how non-judicial proceedings could be done on homestead property in keeping with our Florida State Constitution which contains homestead protections.

Mortgage modifications were looked at as being a possible answer to the foreclosure crisis. The Florida Supreme Court even ordered mediation for all homestead property being foreclosed on (with some exceptions). However, both the modifications and mediations have been highly ineffective, resulting in the Florida Supreme Court to lift its order directing mediation for homestead properties.

In Central Florida, mediation through bankruptcy has been surprisingly successful. The practice is now in for a trial run in the Jacksonville Division, however, since the Florida Supreme Court lifted its mediation order, it is not yet known how successful it will be.